Matt.5:43-45 “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
How to do you know who is a Christian? Can you tell by the way they look? Or can you see inside the person like an X-ray machine. God is very specific about us showing the world that we are Christians. The world says an eye for an eye. Which actually is an Old Testament scripture. But hate is the world’s defense against abuse. You would think people would have enough of hate and get rid of it. It not so. They stockpiled it. God has a different way of handling abuse. As long as man will not listen to God there will be abuse in this world. God’s answer is to love you neighbor. He wants you to do good to people. By this way you might reach some of them. This is the only way to prove who God really is.
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Reconcile
Years ago I worked in Real Estate. I sold property but mostly did Appraisals. There was a friend of my younger brother who wanted to buy a piece of property to build a house. I found a nice piece in the country on a lake. It was a very nice piece of land. He had been in the US Army and was going to use the VA to build his home. The VA turned him down because I made a mistake. The property was a gated community. It had a locked gate at the entrance. He was had spent his life saving on the property. He wouldn’t speak to me. One Sunday morning I was on my way to church and the Lord spoke to me. He said go to this man and asked for forgiveness. He wouldn’t hear of forgiveness and cursed me. I had done what the Lord had said. I prayer that the situation would be corrected. God helped him sell the property for more money. The bible says if you are bringing a gift to God and remember that your brother has ought against you. Leave the gift and go to your brother and be reconciled. We are responsible for our actions. If they caused our brother to stumble it is our job to fix it as best we can. God will do the rest.
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God’s Opportunity
So why does God want to give us the opportunity to know Him and have the power to live the life he has for us? This all goes back to the beginning, asking why God formed the earth and put people on it? This is a question you will have to answer for yourself.
As I began looking for the answer to the question, I went to the one place I knew had the answer, the Bible. I have studied the Bible for 32 years. Each day, God reveals himself to me. I have seen and heard Him in so many different ways. I look for God everywhere, and guess what, I find Him. God gave us His word to reveal Himself to us. In John 20:31, It says, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.” The Study that I am presenting is the result of my quest, which isn’t over yet, to know God and walk in His way.
Camel Hair Tallit
There is a story in the bible of the prophet Elijah. He was a big burly man from the country. He was not a highly educated or sophisticated priest. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Elijah was a Prophet of the Lord. In the story, two specific articles of clothing are spoken of, Elijah’s camel hair prayer shawl and his leather girdle. When Elisha had taken Elijah’s place, these two pieces were given to him by God. After Elisha’s death, the priest brought the camel hair prayer shawl and the leather girdle into the temple to ask God who was the next prophet. The Lord told them to place the prayer shawl and girdle at the Altar of Incense until He would show them the next prophet. In the economy of Israel, a man could be a priest and a prophet at the same time. On the other hand, a prophet didn’t necessarily have to be a priest. Just before Jesus was born, Mary’s cousin husband, Zacharias was performing his duties as high priest. He was burning incense before the Lord, in the Temple. The Archangel Gabriel appeared to him in the Holy of Holies, and said to him that Elizabeth, his wife, would have a boy. He, John, would be a Prophet of the Most High God. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair and a leather girdle about his loins: and his meat was locust and wild honey.” Matt.3:1-4.
Now you know why Jesus said this of John the Baptist, “But I say unto you, that Elias(Elijah) is come already, and they knew him not.” Luke 17:12. John came before Jesus preaching repentance for sins, preparing the coming of Jesus in his ministry.
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Relationship vs. Religion
God didn’t establish a religion. He wanted to have a relationship with mankind. Knowing what is in the heart of man, God didn’t leave the rules and regulations up to mankind. God established His word so we, as His people, have a place to go to learn who God is. In Mark 1:27, it says, “and Jesus looking upon them saith, with men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” Seeing that man knows nothing and has no power to live the life that God has for us, what do we do? In John 1:12, it says, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” So when we received, believe and trust Jesus, God will give us the power we need in our lives. We become part of God’s family, namely his sons and daughters. There is another effect that this process has on our lives. In 1 John 5:10, it says, “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself.” God puts his Spirit in us to be able to understand, to know about God.
Who knows God
What person knows anything about God? The Bible says in 1 Cor. 2:9 “But as it is written, eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” So man really doesn’t know anything about God. When Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden, all he knew about God was what he had learned. Adam handed it down to his sons, grandsons and so forth. It wasn’t until Moses, that God actually had man write down what was required. This is the first five books of the Bible. It showed mankind how to act toward God and man. Many people followed after God, but no one had the power to live the life of God. When Adam and Eve fell from grace, God had to have a way for mankind to learn about Him. The Spirit of God has been on this earth since the beginning. Showing man who God is and what is required to do. In Cor. 2:10, it says, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea the deep things of God.” God began to reveal Himself to individuals, but He wanted to reach more people. God chose Abraham to begin to reveal Himself to the world. He made a covenant with Abraham to show His salvation for mankind. God promised a savior. God said through Abraham the world would be blessed.
Valley of Dry Bones
God showed Ezekiel a valley full of dried bones. He said to Ezekiel speak what I tell you. God had Ezekiel to speak back into existence the nation of Israel. God performed His word. He did it so that people would know who God was and is. How many times has God showed himself to you? Where God has done miracles in front of your face. It has been so many times, I can only give you a few examples. My third son had spinal meningitis at 6 months old. God healed him in 3 days. God loved me when I was unlovable. He brought me from death’s door to life. He had healed my family. And why would He do that for me? For God so loved the world that He gave. Can you think of things that God did in your life? Even when you weren’t following the Lord. God will show Himself to everyone on this earth. He said He would do just that. This is to give everyone an opportunity to come to the Lord. You must first believe that He is. And when you do come, He will provide for us. When God becomes real in your life everything changes. So people will know that He is the Lord.
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Under His Wings I will Trust
There is a news story about a police officer rescuing a duck and her family. The duck laid her eggs in a storm drain. When they hatched they couldn’t get out. So the officers figured out a way rescue the ducklings and released them all in a nearby lake. The ducklings all rushed to mama under her wings. There they were safe. One reason I like the King James Version of the bible is because it is flowery. It is very descriptive. One of the practices of the Jewish people is wearing a prayer shawl on their heads. It is called a tallit. The bible refers to it as under His wings. It is a trust issue. It is like your mother putting her arms around you and you feeling safe. The bible says that you must first believe that He is and He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Trusting in God is a real issue for some people. They haven’t found people that are trustworthy. God is wanting for us to move close to Him. The only way you will ever find out is the move toward Him. Let Him prove to you that He is trustworthy.
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To Obtain Wisdom
Knowledge isn’t understanding. Understanding isn’t wisdom. Wisdom is understanding the knowledge and applying it. It is only through experience that wisdom becomes real. We are in the information age. There is a lot of knowledge out there. I can google just about anything I want to know. The bible says that the devil knows and fears God. That didn’t stop him from rebelling against God. Only when he and his angels were cast out of heaven did they get their wisdom about God. Our first step with God is knowledge. We read to find out who He is. Then God Himself gives us the understanding of the word of God. Then we as God’s children apply the understanding putting it into practice. Then we obtain wisdom for our lives. There is so much to learn. I have been studying for 35 years and have reached a conclusion. I know very little about God because He is so vast. But the little I know keeps my heart and mind at peace. It also protects me and my family from harm. It provides healing for us. It provides us with a purpose for this life. It provides us faith in the Almighty. The bible says if we have faith the size of a mustard seed, we can say to the mountain be thou removed and cast into the sea and doubt not. It shall be done by our Father who is in heaven. Wisdom for all the ages comes from God Himself.
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June 6, 1944
My father served in WWII. He served in all theaters of the war. He first fought in Alaska. Then he transfer to the Signal Corps and they shipped to England. He went to Africa with the 3rd Army. After Africa he went back to England. There he was involved with D-Day. My father land on Omaha beach on D-Day +1. He served again in the 3rd Army until Germany surrendered. I have a picture of him with Uncle Neal, a medical doctor also army captain, at Berchtesgaden. When I was old enough to ask dad about WWII, he never wanted to say anything. My brother and I served during the Vietnam. That when I found out why dad never wanted to talk about his service to our country. Dad died 32 years ago. But there are still men and women alive who served in WWII. Service to our country is honorable. And we should be thankful for the people who did just that. We enjoy a lot of freedoms that we wouldn’t have if they wouldn’t have. It is just a shame that the only time that people come together is in time our world crisis. Billions of dollars were spent to save our world, maybe we need to do this for our own betterment.
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